.243 Winchester Hand Loading Thead

[pistolp71]

 back off a bit on the OAL once they establish the measurement.

 

Exactly, that's what I have been trying to say.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Exactly, that's what I have been trying to say.

I understood you had two separate conditions in your post but I wasn't sure anyone just reading the thread would see that. It may have come across as trying this with a charged round in your first post.

[pistolp71]

I understood you had two separate conditions in your post but I wasn't sure anyone just reading the thread would see that. It may have come across as trying this with a charged round in your first post.

 

That's why I would rather actually talk. I bet if we actually spoke, instead of typed, we would actually come to a agreement on the shotgun vs rifle accuracy thing......

[Pygmy]

I get confused so easily these days...

Just the other day my fiance' sent me down to Cox's to buy a seersucker suit, and I went to Sears...

I think it's time for my nap....

[thphm]

Take the advice Lawdwaz gave you,bookmark 6mmBenchrest .com,A lot of good information on that site.Spend the money and buy the bullet seating depth tool, a modified .243 case for it and the measuring tool also. You are spending a lot of time doing it the way you are,that you could be spending on case prep and loading.

Right in the instructions that come with the bullet seating tool they tell you to check the length with At Least 5 different bullets because they are not Exactly the same.

Why are you crimping the bullets ?. Are you using them in a Lever Action rifle or a Semi Auto as an AR.

For a Bolt action there is no need to crimp bullets,A properly sized case with the ID. .001 smaller then the bullet OD is all you need.

[shawnhu]

Take the advice Lawdwaz gave you,bookmark 6mmBenchrest .com,A lot of good information on that site.Spend the money and buy the bullet seating depth tool, a modified .243 case for it and the measuring tool also. You are spending a lot of time doing it the way you are,that you could be spending on case prep and loading.

Right in the instructions that come with the bullet seating tool they tell you to check the length with At Least 5 different bullets because they are not Exactly the same.

Why are you crimping the bullets ?. Are you using them in a Lever Action rifle or a Semi Auto as an AR.

For a Bolt action there is no need to crimp bullets,A properly sized case with the ID. .001 smaller then the bullet OD is all you need.

I felt the bullets were easily moved, and that could be dangerous. I'll check the ID next time.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Take the advice Lawdwaz gave you,bookmark 6mmBenchrest .com,A lot of good information on that site.Spend the money and buy the bullet seating depth tool, a modified .243 case for it and the measuring tool also. You are spending a lot of time doing it the way you are,that you could be spending on case prep and loading.

Right in the instructions that come with the bullet seating tool they tell you to check the length with At Least 5 different bullets because they are not Exactly the same.

Why are you crimping the bullets ?. Are you using them in a Lever Action rifle or a Semi Auto as an AR.

For a Bolt action there is no need to crimp bullets,A properly sized case with the ID. .001 smaller then the bullet OD is all you need.

There isn't a need to crimp for a rifle other than a lever of semi. (or ammo that will be handled roughly) There are many that hold the thought that a crimped round will give you a more uniform release and consistent powder burn. I have found that with my .223 the groups are tighter with the same bullets and loads using a crimp.

[thphm]

I do not want to start a P****ng match here But some of the best and most accurate bench rest rifle rounds in the world Do Not Crimp there bullets.Again no need in a bolt action rifle withe the proper case dimensions for the bullet being used.

[pistolp71]

I do not want to start a P****ng match here But some of the best and most accurate bench rest rifle rounds in the world Do Not Crimp there bullets.Again no need in a bolt action rifle withe the proper case dimensions for the bullet being used.

I agree.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

I do not want to start a P****ng match here But some of the best and most accurate bench rest rifle rounds in the world Do Not Crimp there bullets.Again no need in a bolt action rifle withe the proper case dimensions for the bullet being used.

Have you done a comparison both ways in the calibers you reload for?

[shawnhu]

Turns out my ID is quite large. .243 and sometimes bigger. That might explain why I'm able to move the bullets by hand.

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[Lawdwaz]

Just for kicks, I measured the ID of my Lapua brass: new, untouched-.237" once fired (not resized).242"  I don't have any numbers on sized brass yet as this .243 was a new arrival late in the summer and load work didn't take too long before I hit on a winner.  Virgin hulls did the killing..................................

[shawnhu]

Just redid some cases, and adjusted my die to collet the neck to around .2415 or so. Hope that loves the loose bullet issue.

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[shawnhu]

Solves, not loves, lol.

I just full length sized the 100 or so cases JJB sent me, what a workout! I wasn't putting enough lube on the first, but after I got the hang of it, it was quite smooth.

Something I discovered. If you remove the de-capping pin from the collet neck die, you can crimp it down further than .2415-.2425 or so. I had to remove my de-capping pin to redo my primed cases.

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[shawnhu]

Just loaded up 30 or so rounds of Hornady for the range tomorrow. Seated them at the lands to increase pressure to facilitate fire forming these once-fired brass I full length sized. Maybe I'll use them to break in the gun a little more before doing groups.

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[shawnhu]

Wow, what a cold day at the range today!

Wish I could have taken some pictures today of the targets, but the range I go to isn't that great when it comes to target recovery, so I'll just have to guesstimate the groups.

I shot a total of 38 rounds today, one being a dud. So 37 rounds went down range.

I fired a couple of fouling shots, followed by a few odds and ends to fire form them.

Then the groups.

First group

4 shots of Hornady 100gr, H380 34gr 2-3"

Second group

5 shots of H380 35gr 1.5-2"

Third group

5 shots of H380 36gr 1.5-2" with 2in1 hole

Fourth group

5 shots of H380 36.5gr 1"

These were all fired from full length sized brass from JJB.

Next up is Nosler 55gr BT Varmint

3 shots of H380 46gr 1"

3 shots of H380 47gr 1.5"

2 shots of H380 50gr .5"

2 shots of H380 51gr .75"

And finally, Nosler 90gr AccuBond

2 shots H4350 42.5gr 2"

2 shots H4350 44.5gr <.5"

These Nosler all fired from once fired neck sized winchester brass. I'll have to play with the loads a little bit, but looks promising!

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[Lawdwaz]

What happened with the dud?

[shawnhu]

What happened with the dud?

Primer didn't ignite. Probably mishandling on my part. I did drop one and picked it back up and loaded it. It's sitting here waiting to be taken apart one day.

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[Ford]

"5 shots of H380 36.5gr 1" "

 

Nice group for 5 shots. There is some debate on 5 shot groups vs 3 shot groups.

 

I always liked 5 shot groups, but for hunting, three probably gives you a better idea of what will happen in the field. (unless you are one of those guys I hear plugging away in the distance, lol.) For deer any way. High volume varmints is another story.

 

 

 

 

[shawnhu]

"5 shots of H380 36.5gr 1" "

Nice group for 5 shots. There is some debate on 5 shot groups vs 3 shot groups.

I always liked 5 shot groups, but for hunting, three probably gives you a better idea of what will happen in the field. (unless you are one of those guys I hear plugging away in the distance, lol.) For deer any way. High volume varmints is another story.

Shooting 5 or 10 shot groups doesn't mean that I intend to shoot that many shots at my intended game target, it's just a matter of making sure that load is consistent and not just a fluke.

Take for example, I got lucky and 3 shots happened to be under 8" at 100 yards. That's Minute of Deer at 100 yards. But when the true moment arrives, my 4th shot is outside of that 8" group my 3 shots gave me the confidence I was looking for. 3 out of 4 shots was minute of deer, but that 4th shot wasn't. That's 75% success, and that's not enough for me.

Take a 10, or 20 shot group and each shot fell within minute of deer at 100 yards, that's 90%+ success rate, and I'm more comfortable with that. Obviously, 1/2 MOA is 99.9% success at 100 yards, if I do my part.

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[Ford]

I was really just saying a 5 shot 1" group is pretty nice.

[shawnhu]

I was really just saying a 5 shot 1" group is pretty nice.

Working on 5 shot .5" group next.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

And finally, Nosler 90gr AccuBond

2 shots H4350 42.5gr 2"

2 shots H4350 44.5gr <.5"

 

Where did you get the load data for this?

[shawnhu]

Where did you get the load data for this?

I compared the data from Nosler's IMR 4350 to Hodgdon's 90gr and it also lists IMR 4350 at the same powder charges for min and max. After confirming that, I went and used the H4350 data from Hodgdon's and applied it to the Nosler 90gr AccuBond.

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[shawnhu]

Discovered a problem with my Lee Collet Neck Sizing die. It won't resize the neck properly.

I called Lee to see if we can find a solution, but they insist its good and asked me to send the die in along with some casings. Turn around time is more than I want for a brand new toy I'm exciting in using.

Before calling, I researched this issue, and most say its the mandrel that's responsible. So I removed the mandrel and used the die and it worked. Sized the necks down to .242, and a couple down to .237 by accident, whoops!

I'm convinced that either the mandrel size of .240 is too thick, or the center of the die cap is not machined deep enough and the mandrel is bottoming out on the case flash holes.

Anyone with experience with this problem?

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